The Battlefield is no Place for Love and Romance
by Nalytia
Summary: Andrea Wilson and Lyaina Hill are back on leave from their recent stationing in Iraq, and had hoped for a possible "vacation" from all the war and fighting talk. One could say that they got their wish... Others may say that they got the exact opposite of what they hoped for. To make matters even better, Andrea has her own inner battle to deal with, as well.
1. The Return Home

The Return Home

We were on top of the building, well hidden, watching the soldiers carefully. I was using the binoculars, and my friend was using the sniper rifles' scope next to me. Without breaking focus, she shook her head slightly, speaking to me quietly.  
"Andrea, I've got a bad feeling about this... Why would they have any reason to be staking out this abandoned town, let alone this building?"  
I shrugged slightly, also not looking away from them.  
"I don't know, Lyaina... But there's a purpose for everything these guys do, so let's just wait it out, alright...?"  
Right now, the soldiers weren't really doing anything, just speaking to each other.  
I suppose this moment of inanimacy is as good a time as any for me to explain ourselves. You see, Lyaina and I are part of the Wolverines... Or, well, we were. but we left some time after we joined... Or I did, at least, and she followed. and I'll admit, the reason I left... It wasn't the brightest. Or even the "noblest". But after what happened; what I did, what I saw... I don't think I could've brought myself to stay with them much longer.  
-*Time Shift*-  
Andrea and Lyaina were back in Spokane on leave from their assignment in Iraq. Or, at least, that's how Andrea viewed it. Lyaina thought differently.  
She nudged Andrea, for about the fifth time that night, and smirked at her.  
"Hey, look, you've got another unobstructed view of him."  
She nudged her back, laughing a bit.  
"Lyaina, stop! I told you, we're here to enjoy the game, and nothing more."  
That's what she insisted every time Lyaina made a comment, but in reality, every time Lyaina pointed him out, Andrea did look for Jed quickly. And everytime she saw him, she would allow for a small smile to pass her lips, for wich Lyaina always nudged her. This time was no different from the others, either.  
The truth was, Andrea, Lyaina, and Jed were all stationed in Iraq, Jed for a little while longer than them. But, they were part of the same Platoon, and even lived in the same town as kids. But Jed dismissed himself for leave early for reasons unknown to them, and when Andrea learned that he had returned to their home town of Spokane, during their next chance to take leave, that's where she dragged Lyaina off to. And that was one of the reasons they were at the football game now, because Jed was there.  
"Oh, look, look, Mattie might get some yards!"  
Lyaina shook Andrea's shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked at the field, and saw Mattie running, unobstructed, towards the other teams endzone. She looked back down at Jed, and he and Mr. Eckert were cheering just as wildly as the crowd. She looked back at Mattie, joining in on the cheering. He made it, they all screamed, and the band played their fight song. The game seem like it would go well from that point on; the Wolverines had the lead. It really did seem like nothing could go wrong.  
But it did, in more ways than one that night.  
By the end of the game, the Wolverines had Lost 14-17, and they received quite a few snide remarks and gestures from the opposing team for it. Leaving the stadium now, Lyaina stretched, putting her arms behind her head.  
"Alright, alright. You've gotten your fill of Jed tonight. Can I go home now?"  
Andrea looked at her, and laughed.  
"What? What are you talking about? I told you, we came here for the game, and nothing more."  
"Oh, so I CAN go home? No other plans tonight?"  
"Huuuh? Go home? Ly, come on, we've been to the school; we were students here once too. The game is nothing compared to the "afterparty"!"  
She rose a finger at Andrea, stopping her from going any further.  
"Ah-ah, correction. We were STUDENTS at the school, but we were BAND KIDS at the games; we rarely attended those after parties."  
"Yeah, but NOW, we're Marines. Part of the armed forces. We'll have plenty of respect!"  
She rolled her eyes at Andrea, but didn't say anything. She laughed, putting an arm around Lyaina's shoulders.  
"Come on, I promise you, it'll be fun!"  
"Yeah, yeah, let's just go... So you can catch more sights of your crush already."  
She started running away, laughing, and Andrea started chasing her, laughing as well."I've already told you, it's not like that!"******  
Eventually, they got to the bar, and it was true; many of those who they just saw at the game were there. Andrea looked at Lyaina with a grin.  
"See; win or lose, these guys always raise their spirits with a little "Spirit"."  
Lyaina laughed, then, seeing someone, she nudged Andrea with a smirk.  
"Yeah, whether they're on or off the team, eh?"  
She pointed, and And Andrea looked; there stood Jed at the counter, speaking and laughing with someone. She tried to remain indifferent, but a smile still spread across her face.  
"Y-yeah, so it would seem..."  
Lyaina pushed her forward slightly, urging her to go talk to him.  
"Come on, get your butt over there! Seeing you like this is almost too painful to ignore!"  
But she twisted away from her, shaking her head.  
"No, no, I can't. He's already talking to another girl."  
"Yeah, well she's leaving now. Let's go!"  
Lyaina grabbed Andrea by the wrist, dragging her along. As they got closer, they passed the girl who had just been talking to Jed; she just took a fry from a booth where two boys sat alone, "teasing" them. Andrea took this chance to slip free from Lyaina's grip and sat in the booth across from the boys.  
"Hey there, guys."  
They stared at her, wide eyed. The kid with the darker skin spoke to her first.  
"Uhm... Are... Are you speaking to us...?"  
Andrea looked around them in a false fashion, like she was looking for someone else.  
"Well, now that you mention it, I think you ARE sitting on my invisible friend there."  
They almost looked, but Lyaina stopped them.  
"Hey, calm down, she's just playing with you. But she DOES have to get going to someone else?"  
She gave Andrea a look, and she held up a hand, signaling for her to calm down, as the two boys looked at each other amazed that such women were taking the time to stop and talk to them.  
"Hold on, hold on. I just want to give these guys a little tip."  
Now, the other kid spoke.  
"R-really? Uh, a tip about what?"  
Andrea supressed a laugh at their eagerness, and went on.  
"That girl that just took a fry from you? There's a trick to being able to pick up a girl like that."  
"Really!? How?"  
She opened her mouth to respond, but Lyaina, leaning on the table, spoke first.  
"Yeah. The trick is by joining the Marines as soon as you're out of High School and coming back here on leave, looking awesome with new muscles and stubble."  
The two boys looked at Lyaina, somewhat distressed, and also stunned. She laughed, and Andrea shook her head.  
"You guys, don't mind her-"  
"Oh no, you should totally mind me. Because, if you're lucky, you'll have some deranged female from your school days who will join the Marines as well, trying to chase after you, but never having the balls to actually come up and talk to you-"  
Now, Andrea looked at Lyaina fully; partly insulted, but mostly worried. She gave her a pleading look.  
"Lyaina!"  
The boys now looked between Andrea and Lyaina, but now they actually looked like they were beginning to believe her. Andrea sighed, looking back at the boys, but still glancing at Lyaina nervously every now and again.  
"O... Okay, fine... Whatever... It's nice to meet you guys, my name's Andrea. Andrea Wilson."  
She stuck out her hand, and they both shook it, the dark skinned one speaking again.  
"Same here; my name is Daryl Jenkins, he's Robert Kitner."  
Andrea nodded, then gestured to Lyaina.  
"I see. And this is Lyaina Hill."  
Robert nodded to her.  
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance."  
"The pleasure's all mine."  
She bowedregally, and they all laughed.  
"Okay. Well then Dre, you can stay here if you want, but I'll be getting a drink now."  
She nodded, and Lyaina went off to the bar counter. Andrea looked back to Daryl and Robert, and could tell right away that they were trying to keep themselves from saying anything. She sighed.  
"Alright guys, come on. Don't be shy; you goy questions, just ask 'em. I don't bite usually."  
They looked at her, then at each other. Finally, Robert spoke up.  
"Okay, well... We're probably the only two people in here who aren't getting spoken to; why'd you choose to speak to us?"  
She leaned back in the seat, putting a finger on her chin thoughtfully.  
"Well, you know... Open seat, trying to escape certain doom, all that jazz. Next?"  
She looked at Daryl, and he spoke up.  
"Well, I don't think I've seen you around town before; are you guys new?"  
She shook her head, but still bit her lower lip, hesitant to answer.  
"No, we... We're on leave... From Iraq. Ly and I both lived here in Spokane."  
"Really? Then maybe you know Mattie's brother Jed? Jed Eckert?"  
"A-ah, oh... Uhm... I..."  
Just as she was wondering how she could've possibly answered, Lyaina called for her from the counter.  
"Hey, Dre! Get over here, quickly!"  
She stood up quickly, making a mental note to thank Lyaina later.  
"Oh, sorry guys, be right back!"  
They shook their heads.  
"No problem, don't worry about it."  
Andrea, careful to avoid being seen by Jed, got over to Lyaina, sitting next to her.  
"What, what is it?"  
"Look. At the TV report."  
They both watched it now, silently.  
"There have been recent sightings by North Korea and Russia of a massive Air Force preparing to take flight. The US worries that this fleet may be heading towards Europe, North America, and many other countries part of NATO-"  
But the program stopped brodcasting and switched to static. Soon after, the TV and the lights suddenly went out. Though the rest of the Bar cheered, Andrea and Lyaina looked at each other worridly.  
"Should... Should we tell Jed...?"  
After a brief hesitation, Lyaina shook her head.  
"No, he's around too many other people right now... We can't start a panic... Let's just go home, and see what happens for now."  
Andrea nodded, and they both got up, leaving the bar quickly, going to their homes, anxiously waiting for morning to come.************* 


	2. The Battle Begins

-*Present Day*-  
"Hey... They're starting to set something up..."  
I snapped myself out of my thoughts, and looked back down at the other building top where the Koreans and Russians were. They were, indeed, beginning to take out their weapons, checking their rifles and machine guns.  
"What...? That doesn't make any sense; there's no one around here but us... Unless... Lyaina, you don't think the Wolverines have to come through here, do you?"  
Again, a slight head shake from her as she wouldn't break her focus.  
"No... If they knew these operatives were supposed to be here, they wouldn't dream of coming through here... There must be someone in the abandoned apartment building that they're after..."  
She went back to looking at the scene, and so did I. I started thinking to myself again.  
'So organized... Just like the first day they set foot on our soil..."  
-*Time Shift*-  
Andrea had fallen asleep when she hadn't meant to, right by a window. Suddenly, but subtly, things on her shelves began to rattle and shake. So did the window, but that didn't wake her up yet. But then, a glass fell from her dresser, and the sound of it's pieces shattering across the floor woke her up immediately. She hopped out of the chair, looking around quickly in a defensive pose. Once she saw that there was no immediate danger, she relaxed. But now the shaking was accompanied by a dull rumbling.  
"Wait... What in blazes..."  
She went back to the window quickly, looking outside. What she saw shocked her beyond belief.  
"Oh... My... God...!"  
In the sky, hundreds of jets were flying over Spokane. And from these planes, men with parachutes were falling into the residence. Korean men.  
"Oh no... No, no, no, no, no...! Shit!"  
Suddenly, there was manic honking outside her house, and she knew who was waiting for her. Quickly, she threw on a random jacket, threw on her gun belt with her pistol, grabbed the gun that was above the mantel in the living room, and ran out the front door. Lyaina was in a Mustang, motioning madly for Andrea to hurry up and get in. She got into the passanger side quickly, and just as she did, they saw a plane get knocked out of the sky, debries flying and crashing into a house down the street and around the corner from where they currently were. As Lyaina started up the car, Andrea stared in shock as the house it hit went up in flames.  
"Lyaina... I'm pretty sure that that was near the Eckert house...!"  
The car roared to life; Lyaina quickly turned it around, heading away from the explosion.  
"Yeah, I know. No time to check; we've gotta get out of here!"  
She began speeding down the road, and Andrea loaded up the shotgun she grabbed before leaving the house. Lyaina had to make several sharp turns to avoid running into other vehicles and shouting Korean officials and soldiers.  
"Wait, wait, put on the breaks!"  
Lyaina slammed on them, and the Mustang screeched to a halt, just barely hitting the cop car in front of them. It looked like the driver was injured, and after making sure the coast was clear, Andrea and Lyaina acted fast, hopping out of the Mustang and going over to help him. But, to their surprise, the driver stepped out, perfectly fine. Even more to Andreas surprise, it was Tom Eckert.  
"M-Mr. Eckert! Are you alright?"  
He waved at her, dismissing her worry.  
"Forget about me, I'm fine. But who the hell are you two?"  
They stood at attention, introducing themselves.  
"Andrea Wilson, Private Third Class, sir!"  
"And Lyaina Hill, also Private Third Class, sir!"  
He looked at them for a moment, scratching his head.  
"Wait a second... Wilson and Hill...?"  
Then, he snapped his fingers, realization flashing across his face.  
"Oh yeah, you girls used to live here, too! You really went and joined the army?"  
"Marines. We were actually stationed in Iraq with Jed... GET DOWN!"  
Quickly, responding to Andreas command, Lyaina tackled Mr. Eckert to the ground, and Andrea took aim and fired at a few soldiers who were trying to sneak up on them. Once it was safe, Andrea helped the other two up, speaking in an urgent tone.  
"Okay. With all due respect, sir, I don't think now is the time to catch up!"  
He nodded, agreeing with her.  
"Yeah, I cam understand that much. Okay, you know Jed, so he probably won't shoot you as soon as you drive up... Alright, let me give you some directions to where you guys should be safe for awhile."  
Lyaina looked at him questioningly.  
"You won't come with us?"  
"I can't leave the rest of the people like this. Don't worry about me though, I'll be fine."  
They nodded, and Mr. Eckert gave them the directions to the cabin in the woods. Once they had them, Lyaina went to start the car, but Andrea stayed behind to speak with the police chief.  
"Wait... Mr. Eckert... Please be careful, for Matt and Jed's sakes."  
He hesitated a moment, but then nodded.  
"Yeah, sure... I'll do that."  
She nodded as well, then handed him her shotgun, not allowing him to give it back. She then went and joined Lyaina in the Mustang, and they drove off, escaping the officials shooting at them, off to the cabin in the woods.******  
It was already night by the time they got there. There was no sign of life at the cabin as they drove up, but they suspected that would be the case. Jed WAS with them, after all. Lyaina parked the car by the three that were already there, and they stepped out of it, Andrea with her pistol at the ready.  
"Hello? Is anybody here...?"  
There was no response, and now Lyaina tried.  
"Look, we aren't the enimies; we're not Tangos. We're friendlies!"  
Suddenly, they both felt cold metal pressed against the backs of their necks.  
"So then put your weapons down."  
They both recognized whose voice it was right away, but decided not to try their luck in the dark.  
Or, at least, Andrea didn't.  
She slowly leaned down to drop her pistol, but Lyaina smirked, and laughed a bit.  
"Haha, Dre, looks like their dad was wrong; we're about to get our brains shot right out of our heads!"  
Unamused, Andrea hissed at her:  
"That won't happen if you'd just put your gun down, Lyaina!"  
"You should listen to your friend, she seems sensible."  
Andrea was slightly surprised by his comment, and she smiled at it slightly. But, looking at her, Lyaina sighed, rolling her eyes.  
"Andrea, please. It wasn't really a compliment, don't take it as one. And YOU,"  
She turned around, pushing the rifle away from her neck, glaring at who was holding it.  
"That's REALLY FUCKING COLD, you know that? And pretty damn rude, too!"  
The boy looked at her, shocked.  
"H-hey, don't act so nonchalantly, I could kill you right now-"  
"Oh yeah? I'd like-no, I'd LOVE to see you fucking try!"  
The boy was about to raise the gun again, but the other guy stopped him.  
"Wait a second Mattie. There's only one person I know who likes to play Russian Roulette with life like that AND curses as much as, if not more than, dad... Lyaina, is that really you?"  
She flashed a pose.  
"The one and only, in the flesh and blood."  
Jed laughed, and then put a hand on Andreas shoulder.  
"And that wouldn't happen to be you too, would it, Andrea?"  
After a brief moment of mental preparation, she inhaled, and turned around, smiling at him.  
"Yup, it would happen to be me too, indeed."  
"Wow, it's great to see you guys again! Right as I was wondering how you were doing in Iraq..."  
Now, Andrea looked at him, a bit shocked.  
"Y-you were thinking about u-us...?"  
"Well, of course. We are still of the same platoon, aren't we? Why shouldn't I worry about you?"  
"U-uh h-huh..."  
She couldn't find the words, or breath, to speak anymore, and Matt, reading the situation a bit, cleared his throat, and spoke up.  
"Maybe we should be heading into the cabin, guys? Before someone DOES come...?"  
Jed nodded, suddenly remembering the situation.  
"Ah, yes, yes, of course! Come on then, let's go inside now."  
He led the way, and Matt followed. But before going, Lyaina nudged Andrea, bringing her back to her senses.  
"Come on, hop offa Cloud-9; we're going inside."  
Andrea shook her head, snapping out of it.  
"Oh, yes, of course... Right, right."  
Now they hurried to catch up with Matt, and entered the cabin. After taking some time to catch up and do other introductions, they got down to business.  
"Okay guys. It's highly likely that those Koreans will be looking for us, so don't think for even a second that this is going to be the "safe house" that we're staying in for the duration of this whole fiasco. We'll have to do patrols tonight; who thinks they can stay up late pretty well?"  
Andrea, Lyaina, and Matt all rose their hands to volunteer; Toni, Julie, Pete, Danny, Daryl, Robert, and Greg all remained still and silent, seeming skeptical about the plan. Jed nodded at everyone who rose their hands.  
"Okay, that's good enough. The rest of you guys will need your rest anyway. Meanwhile, you three, come with me."  
He led Andrea, Lyaina, and Matt into the kitchen. They discussed who would take which shift, and Andrea had the ones from the start of the night, and the last one at the time that everyone judged was appropriate enough to say that the Koreans would no longer be out and about. Everything was fine for her first shift, but the same couldn't be said for her second. She was sitting on the front patio, with a semi-automatic in her lap. She was watching the landscape carefully, but everything was so peaceful, she began to nod off. Just when she could barely keep her eyes open any longer, the front door started to rattle. She jumped a little, and quickly rose the gun towards the door. It opened, and out walked Pete. Andrea relaxed a bit, but didn't drop her guard. She stood up, facing the doorway fully now.  
"And where might you be going so late?"  
He jumped, and turned to face her immediately.  
"O-oh, Andrea! Wow, um, I wasnt expecting anyone to be out here..."  
"And why not? Headed somewhere?"  
As he was trying to explain himself badly, she noticed that he also had a backpack on that seemed to be filled with waiting for him to finish his terrible explanation, she said:  
"You, you're trying to leave with our supplies, aren't you!?"  
"What!? Who, me? Nah, no way- that's ridiculous!"  
But, unamused, she rose the gun up at him again.  
"Well then, you better just get back into this cabin before I have to kill you, alright?"  
He rose his hands right away.  
"WOAH, Woah... Woah. Calm down, let's not do anything crazy..."  
"This? This isn't crazy. It's protocol. You don't want to see me crazy."  
He was about to say something else, but then his gaze focused on something behind her, and he smirked.  
"Well, I dunno; you're pretty crazy to have tried stopping me."  
She was confused for a moment, but that didn't last for long, as soon after, something was knocked against the back of her head very hard, and she blacked out immediately.******  
She woke in the morning to someone shaking her rapidly.  
"Andrea! Andrea, are you alright? Get up!"  
Slowly, she opened her eyes, sitting up. She rubbed the back of her head and blinked a few times to clear her vision.  
"Ugh... w-wait... what...?"  
Once she could see better, she saw that Jed was right in front of her, looking at her worridly. Fully alert now, her eyes widened, and she hopped to her feet, stepping back.  
"J-J-Jed! You... You startled me..."  
Then, from behind her, someone else spoke.  
"Yeah? Well, you scared us half to death."  
She spun around, but it was only Lyaina behind her. Andrea sighed, but she quickly remembered what happened last night. She looked around just as fast as she remembered, trying to find them.  
"Wait, Pete! Where's Pete!?"  
Jed shook his head.  
"Not in the Cabin, along with his buddy. I thought they might've gone to take a piss or something. Why?"  
"Because... Last night, I caught him trying to sneak off with about all of our stuff. I tried to stop him, but I think his friend knocked me out..."  
Jed looked off into the forest, and cursed; Andrea also noticed that Lyaina seemed to be a bit annoyed. And, looking out now, she saw that instead of four, there were two cars, and among the missing ones was Lyaina's Mustang. She understood where her annoyance was, but said nothing on the subject.  
"Okay... Alright. I'm gonna go wake the others. You guys get your things ready; we're gonna go check the status of the city. Just hope everyone is alright..."  
They nodded, and Jed went back inside. Andrea sighed, flopping back down into the chair she was in last night.  
"Jeez... They took my gun too..."  
Lyaina came over and sat on the arm of the chair, patting her shoulder.  
"Hey, don't worry about it, they took my car. And we just weren't prepared for them, is all."  
"But that's just it! Being in the Marines, it's all ABOUT preparedness..."  
"Well, we're still training, so it's okay."  
After a moment, Andrea nodded.  
"Yeah... Okay. You're right, I guess..."  
Now, Lyaina grinned, and slapped her on the back.  
"Okay. OW."  
"Come on, it didn't hurt that much. And of course I'm right! Now let's go get ready."  
They got up, and headed back inside the cabin, not sure what to expect of what they would see of the city, or what they would see after the city.***********  
*Okay, two's up now, excellent! Ooh, do I sense a romance brewing? Oh-ho-ho, things will be getting more interesting for you all in good time... You'll just have to read on and see how... ewe *If you've got any tips or things you'd like me to add or anything, just leave a comment! Don't be shy, I welcome many with open arms!**  
And now, comment/review section!  
-Guest- Haha, I'm glad that I've hooked you as a reader so quickly, thank you! XD I forgot to say that my updates may be slow, probably only once a week, but I will also try to update as often as I can! 


	3. Chance Meeting

-Present Day-

They were starting to load their guns with ammunition, so I started to do the same. But that didn't mean that what they were doing didn't stop me from being anxious.

I turned to Lyaina slightly, and spoke to her.

"Lyaina, I'm a bit unnerved by all of this... Can you use the scope and see if you can't see anyone or anything through gaps or cracks in the walls of the building?"

She nodded, and adjusted the power of the scope accordingly. After a brief silence, she started to talk to me after a brief chuckle.

"Hey, remember last time when we were on a building like this...?"

I looked at her, and laughed a bit myself.

"Haha, yeah, I do... That was when Mattie pulled the stupid-ass move, right?"

Even though she didn't look away from the scope, I still saw a smirk playing across her lips.

"Bingo."

We laughed to ourselves, but then I started thinking back on that day. Lyaina didn't know this, mostly because I refused to tell her, but it was my fault that out hideout was blasted to smithereens that night... I didn't think of that day as the day Matt nearly got himself killed...I thought of it as the night that I betrayed my friends, my makeshift family... The night I betrayed the Wolverines.

-Time Shift-

It had been several days since the Koreans force settled themselves in Spokane... Several days since they all witnessed the death of Jed and Matt's father. Neither had been the same since then; Matt had allowed his emotions to harden, and just wouldn't open up as much anymore. Jed, on the other hand, opened up a lot.

Opened up his mouth to shout a lot, thst is.

He had gotten tougher himself, and decided it was high time that the Wolverines really learned how to fight, and they began to work hard at learning the basics, and the not-so-basic basics. Andrea and Lyaina helped too, but they weren't as rough. Eventually, after small outlet missions to garther materials, Jed decided that they were prepared for a full-scale mission to try and take out the Korean leader of their town, Lieutenant Cho.

Andrea and Lyaina were on top of a roof again, but this time, Daryl and Robert were with them. They all had sniper rifles, except for Andrea who also had a machine gun, and were carefully watching the assembly, waiting for the signal. As they waited, a small conversation was struck up.

"Guys... Do you think we'll all make it out of this okay...?"

They all looked at Robert; he had a worried expression on his face. Andrea looked at him, giving him a thumbs up with a determined smile.

"Don't worry, we'll be perfectly fine."

"Uhm..."

Lyaina grinned at him too.

"Yeah Robs, don't worry! With Jed, Dre, and MÓI working here, everything will turn out fine."

They all laughed quietly, but Robert still sighed again.

"Yeah, but... You guys are like my family, now that... My parents..."

He trailed off, and Lyaina, after a moment, put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small, determined smile.

"Look, don't worry, alright? Just let your "elder sisters" here take care of everything. Kay?"

He laughed a bit again, and nodded.

"Yeah... Yeah, okay."

She smiled wider at him, but Andrea noticed that Daryl had grown awfully silent; she looked over at him, and he was now staring out at the assembly below; something or someone now had his undivided attention.

"Guys... Maybe... we should get off the roof and inside with Jed and Toni...?"

"W-what? B-but why; I mean, we've got a clean shot at Cho if we stay up here, don't we...?"

"Y-yeah, but... Can we just go in please?"

They were all silent for a moment as they mulled over Daryl's plea. But, it was ultimately Lyaina who, after taking into account how worried Robert looked over his best friends' suddenly dampened mood, and Andreas discomfort in general, made the desicion for everyone.

"Alright then, here's what we're gonna do: Big sis' will stay up here, and little bros will go back inside with Jed and Toni. Sound fair?"

Daryl nodded, apologizing and thanking her at the same time. Afterwards, he almost stood up right away, and he would've too, if Andrea hadn't stopped him just in the nick of time.

"Woah, woah! Low profile; don't go up in the air like a red flag, right?"

"O-oh yeah... Sorry, I forgot... Sorry."

After that, keeping it low, he rushed over to the "exit" of the roof, Robert following quickly behind him. Once she was sure that they were both gone, Lyaina sighed.

"Dre... You're gonna have to grow out of or conquer this silly fear of being near or speaking to Jed sometime, you know..."

"What? No, I have no idea what you're talking about -"

But she stopped short; looking at Lyaina, she saw no sight of tomfoolery or joking around about ner expression. So she sighed, giving up.

"Okay, fine... I... I don't know why I'm so scared of being near him, it's just... I get so nervous when I'm around him, "flight" just usually beats "fight" to a pulp in that instance... And don't even get me started on all the wrong things I could say... On top of that, I don't even feel like I can talk so easily around him unless you're there to "loosen up" the atmosphere, and it's just... just... I don't know what it just is..."

She let out an exasperated sigh, practically smacking her face into her hands, and Lyaina shook her head at her.

"Andrea... I was wrong a few days ago. It IS painful to see you like this. You... You just need to get used to being with him alone. Or a good catalyst, like anger, or sadness... Or blind happiness."

"But that's just the thing. Just the thought of being left alone with him is terrifying for me; how will I ever get used to it if I can't even force myself to stand it, even for practice? And what if I DO say something wrong in that instance...? Will he even forgive me after that...?"

"Okay. EEEE-Wrong. Stop there. See? This is your problem: you overthink things! You... You need practice!"

Now, Andrea looked back up at her disbelievingly, but Lyaina looked at her honestly and eagerly. Then, shaking her head, Andrea shot the idea down right away.

"Ly... No, not gonna happen. It'll never work."

"Come on, it'll TOTALLY work! Here, act like I'm Jed."

Now, she returned her attention to the assembly, shaking her head again.

"Lyaina, please, we have to focus..."

"*Ahem, ahem*. Hey there, Andrea. Been awhile since we last spoke, hasnt it?"

"We're gonna miss the signal if we don't pay attention..."

"In fact, there's something I've been wanting to say to you..."

"Lyaina..."

As she went on, Andrea noticed somebody running in the streets; it looked like Matt.

"Uhm, Ly..."

"Well, I guess what I'm trying to say... Is that I-"

"Lyaina, Duck yiur head!"

Matt was running back to Julie, and he was setting off the outlet bomb early. Lyaina understood, immediately ducking her head down behind the low ledge. The explosion went off not a split second after, raining some stone and pebble debris up even onto them. Soon after, everyone in the streets and the assembly were now in a panic. Lyaina cursed under her breath.

"Damn it Mattie...! What are you trying to pull!? Did he and Daryl have something planned?"

"No... I saw what Daryl saw; while you were talking to Robert, I spotted his dad sitting in with the people at the assembly."

"Oh wow, seriously? Well shit."

And now, they heard gunfire and shattering glass, which meant that the building was being fired at.

"Well, that's as good a signal as any for me! Lets go!"

Anddea nodded at Lyaina and they both got back above the low wall and started firing at the soldiers shooting at the building. They lost track of time and how many soldiers slipped past their defenses, and suddenly, there were soldiers kicking open the doors of the roof tops. Andrea looked back, and quickly switched from the rifle to the machine gun, and started firing at them while Lyaina continued to fire at those below. Once there was a break in those coming to the roof, Andrea turned to Lyaina.

"Okay, we're pretty much out of ammo. It's obvious that Jed and Co. have cleared the building already. We've gotta find a way off ourselves that isn't suicide or certain death!"

"Oh, I've got a way. Check my bag."

Andrea went over to it, and opened it. With immense surprise, she pulled out a grappling hook with a "launcher". She looked at Lyaina, shocked.

"Where the hell did you get this from!?"

Lyaina got up, taking the grappling hook launcher and ran to the side of the building where they would be under less hailfire.

"Well, a while back, when the 'rents and aunt wanted to go mountain climbing, we got this. Never did go, for reasons quite well known, but Aunty and I did keep this. Took it from the house the other day; thought it would come in handy."

She fired it into a nearby buildings' window, checking to to make sure it had hooked properly. It was, and Andrea said:

"Well, thank god for your random intuition. Now, tell me: how are we getting down?"

"Like this."

Lyaina grabbed Andrea around her waist, and before she had the chance to protest, or even react, she jumped off the building.

"OH MY GOOOOOOOOOD!"

"I KNOW, ISN'T IT AWESOME!?"

The rope was slack for a brief moment after their jump, but it caught soon enough, and they swung down from that building to the next. Just before hitting the wall, Lyaina let go of the launcher, and they landed in a dumpster. After waiting for a moment to make sure the coast was clear, Andrea got up, and glared at Lyaina.

"What, on GOD'S GREEN EARTH is WRONG with you!?"

Lyaina got up too, grabbing the launcher and tugging it on the rope a few times to loose the grapple end from the building.

"Well, you said we needed a way off that wouldn't kill us, and that was the fastest way I could think of. But don't count your luck ducks yet-"

"I wasn't-"

"-Because we've been seperated from the herd. Trying to get back to "base" now would give up our position."

As she retracted the hook back to its "container", Andrea looked around again.

"So what do you propose we should do then? Hide?"

Putting the set-up back into her bag, under a trick bottom, Lyaina shook her head.

"No, we try to blend in. At least until the next time they get back."

"WHAT!? You want us to walk out in the open!?"

Lyaina looked out of the alleyway and smirked, spotting something.

"Not the way we look now. There's a clothing store, let's go!"

They ditched the guns, hopped out of the dumpster, and sprinted across the streets to get to the store, hopefully unnoticed. Once inside, they took a moment to catch their breath. The shop owner took one up-and-down look at them.

"You... You're Wolverines, aren't you...?"

Andrea stood up, looking at her pleadingly.

"Please miss... If you can't give us clothes, just ket us lay low here for a little while..."

But she shook her head, stepping out of their way.

"Take what you need."

Andrea and Lyaina looked at each other, then back at the woman. Finally, they thanked her over and over again, went into the store, and changed out of their current outfits. Once they were done, the shop owner took their old clothes, and wished them well. They left the store, mingling in with those already on the streets.

"Okay... Let's just remain calm..."

Lyaina gave her a look, and hissed:

"No, I was TOTALLY about to start freaking out and drawing attention to ourselves!"

Andrea glared at her, and she rose her hands defensively.

"What; I just thought you really didn't have to state the obvious, is all! Anyway, I think we should split up... First for supplies; we're almost out of a couple of things back at the base. And then, to make us seem less suspicious..."

"You think so...? I mean, I had the same idea, but... Where should we meet up?"

Lyaina was silent for a moment as she thought, and finally came to a decision.

"Why not right here again? I mean, the clothing store. Either here, or the next spot that there's a commotion... Give it three hours, and if nothing happens, we'll come back here."

Andrea nodded, and at the next street corner, they went their opposite ways.******

Andrea had been walking around aimlessly, doing nothing in particular for aboutnan hour and a half when she decided it would be safe enough to take a seat somewhere and rest a bit. She came up to a small park in a lot space, and she took a seat on a bench there. As she did, she noticed someone across the street staring at her. She looked away from them, and pretended to be occupied with getting something out of her pocket. The person from across the street began to come towards the park, but Andrea didn't jump to conclusions and think he was coming towards her. Instead, she thought of what she might have to do if he was coming for her.

'Running would gather too much attention... So would attacking him... Maybe if I can knock him out without making it look like I did it...'

"Andrea?"

She jumped, startled that her name was being called. She looked up, and the person from across the street was now right in front of her.******

*Okay then, a few words. Sorry that the update was a little late :p. But anyway, here it is after so long. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but this "Time Shift" was a little long, so I had to cut it in hakf. Hope you enjoy!*


	4. Regroup

"Andrea?" She jumped, startled that her name was being called. She looked up, and the person from across the street was now right in front of her.******

"U-uhm..."

"You recognize me, don't you? It's me, Brian? Brian Shay?"

After a moment, realization flashed across her face.

"Oh, Brian! Yeah, I remember you now! From Woodworking, yeah?"

Now he took a seat on the bench next to her.

Yup, that's the class. So, did you ever follow your dream of- ah, erm, joining the "troops"?"

He changed what he was saying due to their "surroundings", and Andrea, understanding what he meant, nodded.

"Yeah, I did. Right after High School, in fact. It's been a tough six years, but I finally got a break..."

'Or, at least I ALMOST did...', she added, under her breath. She then looked at Brian again.

"And what about you these days? What have you become?"

Now, he sat up straighter, straightening out his jacket, looking prouder.

"Well, while you were on the front, I was here getting anPh.D. in human Psychology.

I am a Therapist."

Andrea suppressed a few laughs, and congratulated him.

"O-oh, well, that's good... G-good job, Brian."

He laughed, patting her on the shoulder.

"It's okay, go ahead and laugh. I know it doesn't seem very cool at all."

Now, she laughed along with him.

"I'm sorry, but it really doesn't."

They laughed like that for a few seconds longer, but suddenly, Andrea quieted down.

"Now why can't it be this easy..."

Brian looked at her questioningly.

"Huh? Why can't what be this easy?"

She looked at him, wondering if it would be alright to tell him her plight. Making a decision, she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Well... You see... There's... There's this guy... that I MIGHT like... And-"

But Brian stopped her.

"Ah-ah, stop right there. Say no more, I see the problem. You li- ah, MIGHT, like this guy, but you can't speak to him like you can speak to me. Right?"

She looked up at him immediately, half embarrased and half surprised.

"Ah, w-well... Well, yes, that is the problem... I don't kmow why though, it's just... Like..."

"It's nerves, in a sense of speaking. You see, it's human nature that when you find a person that's... "different" from the rest of the crowd, you'll find yourself naturally attracted to them... If that makes any sense."

"U-uhm..."

She did understand what he was getting at, but the whole situation was just becoming more and more embarrasing for her. She looked down again, hiding her face innher hands.

"Y-yeah, I follow you, but..."

She just shook hef head, not even knowing what to say anymore. She heard Brian shifting next to her, wondering what he could be doing.

"Uh, here. Take this."

Now, she looked up from her hands to see what he was giving her; it was a pocket watch. She took it, staring at the intricate design on its front.

"Wait... What?"

"Well, according to studies, it is often easier for people to speak to someone that they're nervous around if a good friend of theirs is present, or something that reminds them of a friend, better if male... So there, take my watch. Maybe it'll help."

She looked at him, then back at the watch.

"Wow Brian... I don't know what to say about this..."

"Try "Thank you Brian", maybe?"

She laughed, smiling at him.

"Okay, alright, alright. Thanks, Brian. I'll... I'll try to have it back to you soon, if possible."

But he shook his head.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I've got another one of those things; patients want hypnosis for some odd reason."

Andrea laughed, and was about to say something else when someone ran up to them.

"Hey, you guys! Come on, you're gonna miss it!"

Andrea looked at them questioningly.

"Wait, miss what?"

"A traitor! They caught a traitor, they're gonna shoot her in the streets!"

Andre stood up right away, shocked.

"Wait, HER!? Where?"

"This way, come on!"

The kid started running off, and Andrea followed without hesitation. A little ways off, she remembered that she had still been speaking with Brian. She turned to wave, but he was already gone from the bench.

'Huh...that's strange...' She thought. 'And he sounded different too...' But she just let all that slide. After just a bit more running, they finally reached their destination: The front of the clothing store. There was already a small crowd gathered, and the store owner stood in the center, along with a Korean soldier holding a bundle of clothes. Andrea was momentarily relieved that it wasn't Lyaina in the center of the crowd, but the relief was shortlived as the soldier rose up the clothes he was holding. Andrea gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Those... Those are... Mine and Lyainas...!"

The soldier spoke, turning slowly so everyone could see the clothes.

"This traitor... Is accused with assisting... The terrorists 'Wolverines'!"

He faced the store owner now, who seemed like she was fighting a growing fear inside her, trying to remain brave.

Andrea was about to move forward through the throng of people to stop him, but something across the crowd caught her eye. She looked up, and saw Lyaina shaking her head at her. Once she knew she had her attention, she rose a hand, wagging a finger at her. Andrea gave her a look of confusion, and Lyaina pointed up slightly. Andrea looked up; she didn't see anything at first, but then, something glinted on one of the building tops. She blinked once, thinking it was her imagination, but now squinted to try and see if it might not have been. But what the soldier said next grabbed all of her attention once more.

"Do you deny these accusations?"

The woman said nothing, and merely continued to stand there. After giving her a look, the soldier dropped the clothes, and rose his pistol at her, cocking it. Andrea leapt forward.

"NO-!"

The woman shut her eyes in anticipation of the shot. And one was fired; she flinched, but nothing actually happened to her. Once she opened her eyes, the soldier fell dead. The crowd broke apart, running and screaming, and the other soldiers on the tank started pointing up and shouting. Andrea looked up as well, and saw them now: Daryl and Robert, on top of the building, firing down at the soldiers below. Lyaina ran over to her.

"Well, wasn't so hard catching up to them now, huh?"

Before she had the opportunity to respond, someone else shouted at them.

"There you two are!"

They turned around and saw TonI coming up to them. She threw guns to each of them, and started firing at other soldiers herself.

"Where did you two go off to; we all thought you dead!"

Firing at soldiers herself now, Lyaina scoffed.

"Please, like we would allow ourselves to be taken out so easily!"

Now, after shaking her head, Andrea spoke.

"Well, we'd better find ourselves some cover before we ARE!"

They went to the side of the street now, hiding behind a car. But it was heavily under fire, getting broken apart. Toni tried to turn out and shoot every now and again, but it was pointless; they were on the wrong side of the tank. With a frustrated grunt, Lyaina said:

"This is pointless! Our only options are to try and move elsewhere to fire, or stay here and keep trying; either way, we'll die pretty soon!"

Andrea looked up, then smirked.

"Well, maybe not. Look!"

They looked in the directoin she had pointed, and saw Robert running across the buildingg top to reach an area where he had a better shot at the soldiers using the tank for cover.

Lyaina pumped her fist in the air, grinning up at him.

"Yeah Robs, you go!"

But Toni shook her head, having an almost complete opposite reaction from Lyainas.

"Uhm, under all that heavy fire, I don't know how much longer he'll be able to "go" for! Let's try to cover him!"

Andrea and Lyaina nodded, and began shooting at the other soldiers now. The soldiers' attention was now divided between Robert and the girls. They could no longer focus properly, and Robert now opened fire on all of those behind the tank. They didn't stand a chance, and were all soon killed. Now, Lyaina, Andrea, and Toni ran out to where they were, gathering their weapons and ammo. They all looked back at Robert, giving him a thumbs-up. He returned the gesture, and then rose his gun, proclaiming:

"Wolveriiiiines!"

The people in the streets cheered for them, and gave them quick nods as they hurried along the way, back to their "hiding place". The shop owner nodded to them too, thanking them immensely.

"Thank you children, bless you all... Godspeed on your journey!"


End file.
